


Perils of Electrocution to Sithly Plans

by ilyena_sylph, Merfilly



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Mind Manipulation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-14 11:17:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9179170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilyena_sylph/pseuds/ilyena_sylph, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: On the frontlines of the war, the Hero with no Fear has been captured by the forces of Count Dooku! Can his unit and that of General Obi-Wan Kenobi rescue him quickly enough? Is it a trap for our brave Jedi Generals and their men?





	1. Caught and Released

'When laying a web of Sith compulsions in another mind... it might be a good idea to tell one's Apprentice _not_ to electrocute said victim.'  
+++ 

Anakin was was distantly aware that he was lucky Dooku _wanted_ something, and therefore if he could just keep what he knew behind his teeth, he might get through the next... however-many-hours... without losing more limbs or his life. Which didn't mean that Dooku's attempts at Force Lightning-ing the intel out of him weren't some of the worst pain he'd had in the last few months.

Another scream ripped its way out of his throat without his consent, and when the lightning let go he was contorted against the chains in a wildly different position. He panted, spat blood, and clenched his hands into fists, tossing his head as much as he could as he tried to straighten back out. 

His control was too shot to actually be able to reach his Master -- wherever Obi-Wan was... but he would make it. And there was almost no way Dooku had gotten him far enough away that Obi-Wan couldn't find him.

/As though he would.../ 

What? Where had that thought come from? Of course Obi-Wan would come for him.

/Do you really think so? When has he ever been there when you needed him?/ 

Anakin frowned slightly, because his Master had been there for him more times than he could count, at his back or his side... 

...and was on his way at the moment, his violence quick and contained with efficiency to reach his former padawan. Obi-Wan Kenobi stepped, spun, and slashed his way through the defenses set against him, the pain that was only in his mind a beacon. Nothing would stop him, this side of death, from reaching the younger man and setting him free.

Dooku asked something he couldn't quite hear, and Anakin covered his inability _to_ hear with a snarl and a snap of 'Go to Hell'... that actually sounded fairly pathetic, even to his own ears. He just had to hold on. 

Obi-Wan would be there, he knew it. He wouldn't leave him, any more than -- 

/But he's not you. He will. You know the Jedi beliefs.../ A cacophony of moments cascaded through his head: Luminara, Aayla, Windu, even Obi-Wan, all the same 'you have to know when to let go'. No. No. Obi-Wan wouldn't. 

Obi-Wan threw all of his will into a Force Push, bowling over the half a dozen droids in his path, as that pain flared even harder, laced with… anger? Despair? He wasn't certain, and took off with more speed than he probably ought to use, trying to reach the man that was his brother.

/So sure?/ That same dark... something asked, /where was he when you needed him most?/

Anakin sank teeth back into his tongue to have something to focus on that wasn't the whispering hisses of coming betrayal, wasn't the memory of being alone with all his pain and rage -- and then Dooku hit him again, blue lightning made of malice and rage and arrogance ripping into his body. Even with the pain it was a welcome distraction from his own mind. 

There was a secured door between Obi-Wan and his former padawan. This would be a good point for cutting it open normally, but there was a distinctive sound, and a feeling in the air. He analyzed the door and cut into the control panel instead, using the Force to push certain wires together… and the door flew open with him already prepared to defend against the Sith inside.

The world changed, air rushing in, and Anakin forced his eyes open to see -- his heart leapt, all wild joy, because his Master was **there** , the way he'd known he would be. Obi-Wan, there and... kriff. Kriff, _alone_... no Ahsoka, no men, and Dooku. With him chained, and.... 

There had to be some way he could help, even like this. He watched as Dooku's attention swung to his Master, panic sliding through him, more than the pain, half-clearing his mind. There had to be something. 

Except… Dooku saw something, or the Force chose to show him a glimpse of his fate… as Obi-Wan caught the blast of lightning aimed at him, and then the Jedi was pushing forward with mayhem in his eyes.

Dooku gave ground, when the first clash of their lightsabers jangled his arm right to the shoulder, because of the strength Obi-Wan used.

Anakin watched, through the pain and panic, as his Master and Dooku fought, unable to find a way to help, struggling to focus enough to even try to get himself loose, let alone throw anything into the fight. His Master was always an incredible fighter, but right now... He'd never seen him quite like this. He moved almost too fast to follow, and the _way_ he moved was -- it was just... different. Almost...

/Almost as if he didn't trust you to not reveal everything./

Obi-Wan had been using the Ataru he'd learned from Qui-Gon, with its power and fierceness from the moment he'd walked into the room, forcing Dooku back, even as it was almost familiar enough to let Dooku have openings. Dooku, having retreated nearly to the other door, chose to take advantage of knowing that particular variant, stepping through a hole in the defense… and Obi-Wan's grip and footing shifted, putting it back in the economical Soresu that he'd mastered for his own. His lightsaber slid through the defense and down, a slice going nearly to the bone of Dooku's arm. 

Only the Force let him both save the lightsaber and shove Obi-Wan away so he could flee, well-aware he was over-matched this time.

No, Anakin **didn't** believe that of his Master. He didn't, and wouldn't, not ever. His Master had come, and it wasn't over the kriffing intel, either. 

And Obi-Wan was actually driving Dooku away. Making him flee. Fighting hard enough, and with enough raw... passion, yes, that was the only word for it, to make Dooku run like Grievous. He twisted against the binders and chains, trying to figure out how to get himself loose, but every inch of him hurt, his right arm wasn't working, and his left wrist felt -- oh. Huh. The binder was half-fused to itself and probably into his skin and muscle from the bolts. Gonna have to have help with that, after all. 

"Be still, Anakin," Obi-Wan said fiercely, even as he held his ground only long enough to be certain Dooku was fleeing for certain. Then, he moved to the side of his injured, badly shaken former padawan, lightsaber still at the ready. He could feel so much pain, and there was that lurking confusion as well. "Let me cut you free, so we can get out of here, and I can take care of you."

"Yes, Master," Anakin answered, going completely still, watching the fierce shine in his Master's eyes. He couldn't tip his head, not with a lightsaber about to be moving that close to him, but... he couldn't quite remember ever seeing Obi-Wan look like that. His eyes were nearly blazing, and the set of his jaw was -- that wasn't anger, not the kind he was used to seeing, or anything else he knew. 

/So what else is he hiding from you?/ 

He was getting tired of those words rippling from the back of his mind, when he was so glad and relieved to see his Master that he was smiling despite all the pain. He'd come. 

It wasn't natural to him to be this still, but. He'd be free in a few moments. The intent, firm, 'so I can take care of you' petted along his ravaged nerves, easy and soothing and warm, despite the rest of the tone. That was a promise, and he'd missed his Master being willing to take care of him, and he watched him wield the same blue blade that had just sent Dooku fleeing so delicately now.

Very careful cuts, and in one case, Obi-Wan put his hand on the circuit of the binder so the pop-sizzle arced into him, not his ravaged padawan-no-longer. He kept his ears out, but nothing seemed to be moving in just yet.

Then again, he was fairly certain that a feral Togruta with two battalions was more than making the Separatists regret ever coming near her Master. 

"There. Can you support yourself with an arm around my shoulders, or do I need to carry you, Anakin?" he asked softly, eyes finally meeting the pain-hazed ones.

That quick move to absorb the frying circuit... he'd done it like anything else was impossible. It wouldn't have hurt at all, not in comparison, but the protectiveness of it -- he wanted to curl in against Obi-Wan's chest for that, like he hadn't since he was very, very little. 

"Not sure," Anakin answered, still working on convincing his lungs that they were going to keep getting air, "he'd been at that for... a while. Get me to my feet, and we'll find out?" 

Obi-Wan listened, didn't hear anything threatening immediately, and turned his lightsaber off to be able to have both hands free. It clipped on his belt, and then both hands were on Anakin, as well as the Force, drawing him up and supporting him while Anakin decided how bad his balance and strength were. 

"Easy… I have you…"

Soft, steady murmur, his Master's hands firm and gentle and absolutely secure, and Anakin half-leaned against his chest for a moment, before he tried his weight completely on his own feet -- and his right leg buckled under him while his left foot tried to turn itself inside out, and only his Master's hold on him kept him from hitting the decking. Floor? Whatever. 

He didn't have anything left to throw up, but his body wanted to try, and he still tried again to force his limbs under his control.

"That's a no," Obi-Wan said firmly. "Over my shoulder, because if I carry you like I would carry Satine, the men will definitely talk," he added in a wry voice before moving to get Anakin shouldered, wishing he could spare energy to heal Anakin now, but there was no guarantee Ahsoka had cleared the way out completely.

Anakin growled under his breath, temper snapping at the mention of the woman that could have taken his Master from him before he even knew him /he would have abandoned them for her, but threatened you over Padmé?/. That woman only had to speak to drag his Master to her, and it drove him crazy... but Obi-Wan was right. "Also, you need a hand free."

Speaking of... kriff, _kriff_. "I can't feel my 'saber..." 

"Frankly, I am surprised you can feel anything, Anakin." Obi-Wan closed his eyes, seeking the resonance of the lightsaber that radiated the mercurial energies of his brother-warrior. If it was near, he would recover it for Anakin. "If it's not here, I suppose I'll be adding one more tally mark to the board. This one as 'lost'," he said with an upward note, trying to distract Anakin from his misery.

"...can't, much," Anakin admitted, despite the hard ridge of shoulder in his chest and the flat agony in a hundred places, the constant pain in his left wrist, and the ache everywhere that didn't feel burst-open. "Tried, earlier. If I could call it... and mm. Yeah, guess so." 

"You'll have time to -- ha!" Obi-Wan found where the lightsaber had been secured, and used the Force to demolish the locking mechanism, then called it to him, securing Anakin's weapon to his own belt. "Well, we managed to salvage that one." Then, using the Force again to wrap around Anakin, to try and keep him still and padded against the run, Obi-Wan made his way out, back through the absolute carnage of droids he had created in his single-minded mission.

Anakin smiled, relieved, and tried to center himself for what was going to be a profoundly unpleasant experience. Solid hold around him, Obi-Wan supporting him, keeping him safe even from physics... He was distracted from the security of the hold, the blatant care his Master was taking with him, by the sight in the edge of his vision of scattered pieces of droids. He lifted his head a little, turning it to see more clearly at least on one side -- 

\-- and there was devastation everywhere. He could see the shape of some of the fights in what he could observe now, and they were the equal of anything he would do... /Isn't it amazing how he chides you for your methods, only to leave this all around him?/

He'd almost expected that, and Anakin frowned to himself. That... there might be a point there, but when everything else had been so _wrong_ , he didn't want to hear it. /But you know it's true.../ whispered back. 

No, he kriffing **didn't**. Obi-Wan had been coming for **him**. That was what mattered, that was... 

"Anakin, I am going to have to jump. It doesn't look like our men have caught up to the hole the droids blew in the corridor to try and stop me," Obi-Wan said, distracting him. "I will do my best to keep you still, but I apologize if the landing hurts."

"Master," Anakin replied, between breaths against pain that even Obi-Wan's hold couldn't do anything about, because it was his own seared nerves and savaged muscles, "everything hurts anyway. Do it." 

'Hole the droids blew to try to stop me'? Anakin puzzled at that for a moment, then gave it up. 

"I would wish that it did not, Anakin," Obi-Wan told him softly before gathering himself for the leap. He managed to land on the other side, and immediately had to bring his lightsaber up, keeping him from checking on Anakin. The battle droids that he had heard were fleeing… but two economical blows had them disabled and Obi-Wan moving forward again.

"It seems our padawan is living up to her end of the rescue, if the droids are trying to retreat," Obi-Wan said cheerfully.

Yeah, ow, that had hurt... and that was quite a crater the droids had left. Looked like it went down a couple of stories, too, from this vantage point. 'Our padawan', his Master's soft claim on his Snips. 

"Ahsoka," he murmured, not really a question, but more relief to know she was close. He didn't really want her to see him in this kind of shape... but he wanted her presence. His Snips, though his Master's protective 'our' was okay, too. "Of course she is." 

There were no hissing whispers about Ahsoka... and his head cocked slightly, puzzled again. Why the whispers about his Master, and not his padawan? 

"I had to be firm with her, Anakin, that she handle the assault, as she truly wished to come rescue you herself," Obi-Wan told him, continuing to move, this time with saber in hand, in case of stray bolts. They needed to get somewhere visible, and then aim for the larties, he knew. He would evacuate Anakin directly to the _Negotiator_ , as the man had taken so much damage. 

"She's not -- ow -- good enough to deal with Dooku," Anakin replied, the complaint coming from having tensed all over at the thought. He was torn between panic at the mere thought, incoherent anger at her for thinking of it and Obi-Wan having to make her mind, and relief that he had. He made himself relax again, though that hurt almost as much, and told himself to remember to make sure she was okay. 

His padawan. Had to protect her. 

"No, she's not, but she wouldn't have been alone, even if she had forced the issue," Obi-Wan said tersely. "I was coming, no matter what anyone chose on the matter." He looked ahead as they reached the last corridor, seeing the damage he had wreaked on the opening so he could get in. Beyond, there were signs of the ongoing battle, but his ears were making out more AT-TE guns than droid tanks.

That sharply terse tone and what he could get on the bond that was almost the only thing in him that didn't hurt said that something had happened, and -- "...take it the Council was the Council?" 

/No doubt of that,/ the whispering hissed, /between their jealousy and dislike of you, they were likely glad./ 

But his Master hadn't been. His brother, his Master, had come.

"They feared it was a trap, Anakin, to take both of us out of the war. Yet, the Council should know by now that we excel at springing traps and escaping them, yes?" Obi-Wan forced his voice to stay light; he'd actually come to an argument with Mace, a man who had long since been one of his mentors. "Plo offered to handle it, but it would have taken too much time for him to get in place, compared to where we were, a point he conceded when I pointed it out.

"Not that I was ungrateful for one of them to offer, but … you are, excuse me, were _my_ padawan."

"They should," Anakin agreed, since that was sort of what they **did** , but when did the Council ever learn anything about them? He'd no more than had that thought, though, when his Master said that. Said it so easily but so intently, sharp firm claim that petted down his spine and settled him, most of his mind going quiet at it -- 

\-- and there was another hiss. /He still thinks of you as only that, you see? Someone he can control./ 

That he **knew** for a lie, and he moved enough to make his left hand catch hold of his Master's robes, ignoring the pain as he clung on. Ahsoka would always be his padawan, even when she was a Knight, or a Master in her own right. It wasn't -- the voice was wrong. "Knew you'd come," he whispered. 

"Where else could I be?" Obi-Wan answered that in a soft voice. "Now, settle down; I can see one of our ships. We'll get you help quickly for the pain." He raised his comm to request transport, then lowered it as a lartie diverted suddenly for their point. "Seems someone is paying attention… or Ahsoka felt you, more than likely." He scanned the battleground… there, a flash of green as their padawan led from the front, her lightsaber in motion.

Anakin did not let go. It wasn't pain that had him holding on, and with those words, that low soft answer that was almost a promise... unfastening his hand was _not_ happening. 

"I sort of hope not," Anakin replied, aware his voice was still rasping, his vocal cords still raw, "can't be pleasant, right now..."

Obi-Wan lightly squeezed where his hand was steadying Anakin on his shoulder. "It's not, but it means you live," he answered. "She seems to be practicing battle meditation right now, so the full impact is likely not weighing on her," he added to reassure Anakin. He planned to give the younger man a shot of painkiller as soon as they were en route to the ship, in fact, to negate some of what was buzzing against their bond.

"Mm," Anakin agreed quietly, the light pressure adding a different edge of pain, but one that was so much more welcome, because of the affection in it, the steadying, soothing intent. "That's good." 

He could hear the lartie, almost to them, and was more than grateful for it. Once they were safe enough that Obi-Wan didn't need his wits for guarding them, he needed to tell him about -- 

/you can't trust him with your secrets, you know what he'll do.../

Kriff **that!**

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, frowning at why his padawan-no-longer felt like a sharp ball of anger suddenly. "We're almost out of here, and Ahsoka has things well in hand from what I can see," he told the younger man. 

"Good," Anakin told him, making his voice be steady, even and relieved instead of angry -- he wasn't angry with either of **them** , it was this thing in his mind that was the problem. He flexed his hand despite that making the wrist scream, holding on. "There's a problem, but it can wait for shipboard. Maybe hyperspace." 

Protective flare in Obi-Wan's mind spilled over before he could remember he'd put most of his shields down to better track Anakin. "If you are certain it can wait." The lartie dropped enough for Obi-Wan to get them aboard, with the elder man going straight for the injured restraint system built into one wall. "I have to secure you," he said, apologetically. He hated this part, knew Anakin did too. He looked forward to find out which pilot they had. One of the 501st, but that hardly mattered. "Let's go evac the aid station, and head up for the _Negotiator_ , Pilot!"

Anakin leaned into that protective, determined flare of his Master's mind, wrapping it around himself as best he could, before hissing at the thought of the restraints -- but Obi-Wan was right. He hadn't been able to stand, he couldn't keep himself in this thing if they pitched, especially with his right arm fried and his left in this state. "I know," he replied, trying to make himself relax as his Master laid him down. 

Obi-Wan was careful with the straps as he secured his brother in arms, while their pilot took them toward the aid station. Duty dictated they not waste the lartie flight up, even as Obi-Wan hated the delay in treating Anakin. He rested his hand on bare skin, pushing a little energy to his friend, before rising to help get injured aboard once they reached the aid station.

Anakin pressed into the hand for a moment, his Master's strength sinking into his body and soothing the worst of the pain, before the lartie stopped and Obi-Wan was moving men -- his and his Master's alike -- onto the ship, and his head turned to check who, and how bad, and... pfassk, he couldn't do a damned thing to help. 

Obi-Wan used the other benches for the worst, then secured the rest directly to the decking… and was relieved when they could actually seal the ship and go. There'd been at least one cannon blast aimed their way as they loaded, with Helix very calmly back-tracking the angle and distance to call fire down on the likely emplacement of the droid cannon.

They moved for escape velocity, Obi-Wan settling where he could see all of the injured, prepared to help any who needed it.

Too far away, Anakin thought, as his Master found a place, but... they did have company, so. No surprise at all. He took a breath and a second, and admitted to himself that he was surprised not to hear another whisper. He locked gazes for a moment with the trooper on the other side of the lartie, who gave him a surprisingly bright smile for the shape his armor was in. 

"Good to see you, Sir," he -- Pike, of course, it was right there in the tattoo over his sternum -- said, and Anakin said back, "You, too." 

"Not every day we get to ride along with both our generals," came the unmistakable cadence of Hardcase… with no one telling him to shut up for a change. Obi-Wan glanced over to see the heavy gunner had his leg in a full stabilization device, and if the armor he could see was any indication, the gunner had gone toe to toe with a tank.

"I'm glad you find comfort in such, Trooper," Obi-Wan said, with a slight twist of his mouth.

Anakin snorted and dug out the energy to roll his eyes at Hardcase's comment, knowing where he was even if he couldn't see him from this particular vantage point, but let Obi-Wan's comment stand for both of them. He was too tired -- and shock (hah, hah) was trying to set in now that he was actually safe. Stupid reaction, and he couldn't even use the Force to deal with it. 

Obi-Wan moved slightly before he caught himself; everyone needed his watchful eye. He could not reach out to just Anakin. "Pilot… Pinball, isn't it? transmit to the _Negotiator_ that I am authorizing the use of the bay nearest medical. I know the _Resolute_ is likely handling a high number of casualties currently, so my own flagship will stand for those that evac from the ground."

"Yes sir… and you're not wrong, sir. Though our fighters gave that tin-plated _di'kut_ a solid drubbing before he jumped out."

"...Grievous? Again?" Anakin growled the complaint, though possibly not at a volume Pinball could actually hear, promising himself for the thousandth time that one day he would see that one dead. 

"Apparently. I was already in atmo, by the time the ships engaged," Obi-Wan told his former padawan. "Ahsoka took on the full planning and command."

"And dropped as soon as she'd punched a hole," Anakin muttered, because she'd been down on the surface backing Obi-Wan's push to get to him. Reckless padawan... but he'd known that from the moment he decided he was keeping her. 

"I am so not surprised," Obi-Wan said.

"Actually, she didn't participate in the space battle," Hardcase said helpfully. "She was on my dropship. Surfed out on the AT-TE, and started tearing up droids left and right, our commander did!" he said proudly. "Sirs," he added, at the glare from the man nearest him.

"And that is true Ahsoka, following in your footsteps, Anakin. She went where the fighting would be thickest."

"Well, where else?" Anakin asked with half-shake of his head -- that he promptly aborted because it hurt too kriffing much -- before he just smiled. That was, in fact, exactly like his padawan. "She knows where she's needed." 

"So she does."

++++

The atmosphere let go of them, and Anakin overheard the cockpit chatter that said a couple of ARC-170s had settled in on either side of them for escort (who'd thought that having a ship-type and the advanced trooper training use the same initials was a good idea, anyhow?) back up... and he saw Obi-Wan moving towards him with a hypospray. He was sure he knew what was in it, and he was instantly torn between telling his Master he didn't need it (didn't want the cloud in his thoughts, his controls) and longing, because he was even more aware now of how much he hurt than he had been being carried. The continual shivers of shock (and leftover electrocution damage) weren't helping with that, either. 

But he hated being drugged. Local anesthetics weren't so bad, those didn't get into his mind. The general painkillers, on the other hand, did unpredictable things to his psyche... 

"I know," Obi-Wan told him softly. "But I need to be clear-headed. And I feel you too strongly now."

Anakin blinked once at him, frowning, "...projecting that much?" he asked, even as he wondered why exactly his Master was saying he needed to be clear-headed now, as opposed to earlier. Well, no, he wouldn't have been able to feel him as strongly earlier, not with distance and his mind shorting out every so often. A few moments later, he added a quiet, "Sorry?" while he glared at the hypospray and nodded reluctant agreement.

"I needed to find you." Obi-Wan pushed the hypospray against skin. "Rest."

Anakin wrapped the comfort of that 'I needed to find you', the simplicity of it -- and the way it wasn't simple at all -- around himself, against that dark cold thing, and let whatever was in the spray take him under.


	2. Staking the Snake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin reaches out, to deal with that persistent voice.

When Anakin next came to, Obi-Wan was speaking via comm and they were in Obi-Wan's quarters. Which meant Anakin was sprawled across the double-sized berth that took up quite a bit of the sleeping area of the cabin.

"You've done well, Padawan, and yes, we do need to respond to that relief mission. I am confident you and Captain Rex can handle it. We'll rendezvous once you have done so, and Anakin may be back on his feet by that point."

"Tell Skyguy I'm worried, and I'll see you at the rendezvous," Ahsoka said before the comm cut out. Obi-Wan put his wrist down, then turned, and his eyes lit a little to see Anakin was semi-conscious. 

"Well, our padawan is worried about you, but you likely heard that," Obi-Wan said. "Do you need anything, Anakin?"

Anakin blinked once, groggy and still -- oh, yeah, very heavily -- medicated, he couldn't feel the wrist, and he didn't actually hurt much anywhere else, either. He tried moving his right arm, felt it completely refuse to move, hissed in frustration, and gestured with his left. Which was one solid mass of gel-enclosure from the base of his thumb to a hands-breadth down his arm. What he needed was his Master close. 

He hadn't seen that particular look in... so long. And he needed Obi-Wan close if he was going to --

\-- /Shouldn't. It's not safe, he'll.../ 

That sounded half like his own thoughts, but it was underlaid with that same hissing tone, the creeping hate. 

"You do realize you have not had near enough time to heal, Anakin?" Obi-Wan grabbed his water bottle, the one that was gravity-proofed, and brought it over to help him drink some. "I just… did not want you waking in medical, possibly alone. At least in here, if I had needed to leave, you would have been free of the clinical smells and sights." He knew he detested them, after all.

Anakin shifted to work with that, the water -- even probably recycled a thousand times -- tasting like Naboo springwater on his raw mouth and throat, but his good hand latched onto his Master, again. He wasn't going to stop drinking, yet, but... he needed to have that contact, to brace him against whatever was going on with him. 

/He'll just think you're crazy. Can you risk that? Risk Ahsoka?/ 

Obi-Wan frowned at something he couldn't quite grasp, a feeling, and settled on the bed, sitting beside his friend, his brother. "I'm right here. Cody is running interference. Ahsoka took the last bit of business that was pressing in on our units. It will be alright."

Anakin nodded, and finally managed to make himself let go of the bottle -- and the water in it -- and moved, carefully, to where he could look Obi-Wan full in the eyes. Panic was starting to well up in him, but it... it was coming from the same place the whispering was. He clung with his left hand, enough that even through the painkiller he could feel those muscles protesting, and said, before he could be overwhelmed by the clawing need not to, "Master, there's something talking in my head and it **really** doesn't like you." 

"A Sith manipulation?" Obi-Wan frowned, and shifted so he was against the head of the bed, drawing Anakin carefully back to it with him, staying very close to him. "Do you … may I try and help you with it? By looking, using our bond?" he asked, trying to keep his serenity, even as fear shot through him. What had Dooku done?

For a moment, he froze, blinking as the simple question rearranged things in his mind. Obi-Wan was right, of course. There was a voice hissing cold in his head that hated his Master, what could it be but something Dooku had buried in him? 

"What else?" Anakin replied, even as he moved his wrist out of the way and pushed against Obi-Wan's side, relief at his Master instantly listening managing to overwhelm the panic-sweat trying to break out across his shoulders and down his spine. And the instant _request_ , not demand, that his Master was only offering to help, that was soothing and steadying as the attention. 

He could feel his Master's concern, almost fear, rippling across the bond between them, even though he knew he couldn't lift a tissue with the Force right now, and that helped, too. 

/No, no, remember what you've done, you can't let him see!/ Along with the words came old terror, the feel of a heavy foot in his back and a cuff across his nape, strap across his shoulders and clawing hunger because of his failures -- 

"Anakin…" Obi-Wan got his arm back behind Anakin, around his shoulders. "What can I do to make it so you trust me enough to help you?" he asked, the Force pressing in on him even as the words twisted into that phrasing. He knew he and Anakin had issues, but… to phrase it as a matter of trust? Then again, Anakin had yet to come forward about the obvious relationship.

Anakin burrowed into the hold, hiding from his nightmares in the feel of his Master's body the way he had as a child, his fist clinging tighter, torn between the need to fight the trap in his mind and to protect himself, his breathing shaky. "I -- this isn't _me_ , Master, _help_!" 

Obi-Wan threw himself into the training bond, pushing past where he normally stopped in the shared awareness, so that he could reach for his padawan's inner self. The turmoil he found was more profound than any other time he'd had to help Anakin in his own mind, even during that awful fever that had kept Obi-Wan terrified… and mortified that he hadn't considered what immunities his padawan had lacked.

~I am here, Anakin. I will not abandon you to this fight!~

~Master,~ Anakin answered, clinging to his Master's solid, stable presence, holding on, that mind-to-mind promise helping steady him. He let the outside world fall away, concentrating on his mindscape... and kriff, it was a mess in here. He knew Obi-Wan wouldn't leave him, he'd known it in Dooku's chains and he knew it now -- 

\-- /he will more than 'abandon' you if he sees,/ that same hissing darkness whispered, dark echo of his own voice and his fears, shadow-presence coiling around his own, /send him away, before you lose everything..../ 

Obi-Wan's sharp mind caught the slither of something… something not familiar and all too ugly. ~My Padawan.~ He threw all of his love for the younger man into that, trying to build a shield around Anakin out of his desperate need to protect at least one person that meant the world to him.

Love wrapped around him along with the words, powerful and strong and true, half-desperate and determined, all of his Master's will in the words -- but so much love. Love enough that it shook him out of his fear and he latched on. ~my Master. Mine. ...did -- did you hear it? Or...~ this was the mindscape, where things could manifest in so many ways, ~or see?~ 

~Something slithering over your mind,~ Obi-Wan said with distaste for it, but he kept Anakin securely in his hold. ~We'll root it out, Anakin. I won't lose you to a Sith!~

Anakin burrowed closer, taking reassurance from his Master's steadiness, the almost savage determination he knew from a dozen battlefields, and nodded. ~Shouldn't we be able to see it, already this deep?~ 

Especially with his shields already battered from pain and drugs and exhaustion, the buried influence should be showing... maybe if he showed one bit directly _to_ his Master -- 

\-- /and have him know what you think of him?/ 

He growled, low in his throat, and told it sharply, ~You're not me!~ before realizing his Master would hear him too. But that was okay, it was... and he'd been thinking something. Something to help. Right. Showing Obi-Wan. He grabbed for that first moment, the memory of thinking about Obi-Wan finding him and the hissing retort, and held it out. 

His Master let loose a piece of profanity that was very Twi'leki, and anatomically impossible for humans, before he latched on to that feeling/sound/presence. ~I will not let this stand! You are my brother and friend, Anakin.~ His presence inside the mindscape grew more intense, the light blazing out to search for the influence… even as Anakin noted that Obi-Wan carried some shadows himself.

~ _I_ knew you'd come,~ Anakin answered, reassured by the anger and the blaze of presence, even as he wondered at the shadows. He felt a frantic need to hide his own, but... he couldn't do that and find this thing. He had to trust him. 

/Because you know too much, not -- would a friend have let your mother die?/ hissed -- and he felt Obi-Wan catch on to it, grab the intrusive thought... and his entire psyche **rang** with pain as the grab set off a cascade of... things half-seen in the aftermath.. 

There was a long moment of shock, and then the love was reinforced by guilt-fueled determination. Obi-Wan wrapped his psyche tighter around Anakin, and chased the thoughts back into their holes… except they were deeply embedded in Anakin's mind.

~Anakin… I fear for you… this is so deep within you,~ Obi-Wan told him. ~If I start cutting at it, trying to free you of it, I may cause you pain.~

The admission of fear, of concern for his pain, made Anakin cling in return, before he shook his head -- or pushed the feeling of it, anyway, all negation and lack of care. ~It's just pain. This isn't **me**. Get it **out**.~ 

~I will do my best.~ The 'or die trying' was not meant to be heard, but Anakin's shields weren't the only ones that were less than stellar. He threw himself into the fight against the slithering Sith presence, chasing every iota of it… and growing ever more horrified at how badly he had failed Anakin over the years.

~Not losing you!~ Anakin replied with a snarl, and threw his own will at reinforcing his Master, at finding the places where those whispers hid -- 

\-- and they fell into one, a memory somehow bubbled away but tainted with that darkness, his hair just starting to grow out, Coruscant spread out beyond the windows, trying to control himself against the tears at the end of confessing what he'd done to the only person he trusted enough to tell, the Chancellor's hand gentle and steady on his shoulder as he murmured softly horrified understanding and sympathetic grief. 

But under that, or over it, behind it, there was... /You did exactly right, what _needed_ to be done, but they will hate you for it.../ 

Obi-Wan full out _hissed_ as that memory was so clear. ~No Anakin! No.~ In the physical world, the elder blindly groped for and shifted his padawan, so that he was curled protectively around him. In the mindscape, he lashed out, seeking the memories of Palpatine now, shining light on the hidden words buried in innocuous meetings.

Anakin whimpered, unable to argue with his own mind and the clearer recollection of events, but -- the Chancellor was his _friend_ , had been the only one he didn't feel like a failure to or in front of, he _couldn't_... 

/Of course I am yo -- / 

~No!~ he snarled at the voice, ~you're **not**!~ He tried to push it away, push it out... and forced it to where Obi-Wan could strike. It was like dealing with one of those dozen-headed swamp monsters... 

Light pierced the one Anakin had thrown out for him to catch. Obi-Wan's personal energy was savage at undoing the harm to his padawan, as years of loss mounted into a complete rage that spared nothing but Anakin in its passage.

The savagery and rage, the star-hot fury of Obi-Wan's response and attacks on the shadows in his mind was more reassuring than anything else could be, and Anakin helped hunt, his shocked, betrayed horror turning rapidly into anger of his own. He knew where his memories were, and with Obi-Wan to help... they found them, bit by bit. 

Eventually, it had been a little while since they'd found anything, and he was out of ideas for places to look, and he leaned, exhausted and grieving, against his Master's mind. ~...think we're... done yet?~ 

~Maybe?~ Obi-Wan held on, so tired, so worn… and wracked by guilt still. ~I'm sorry.~

~That diseased excuse for the spawn of a rancor and a hutt isn't your fault, Master,~ Anakin murmured, even as that 'I'm sorry' seeped deep into him and started to soothe old, old wounds. ~I'm sorry I let him turn my head...~ Sorry, and ashamed, and so, so angry. 

~Anakin… you thought he wanted a friendship. I understand that.~ The elder man brushed love and care and understanding down the bond, wrapping that around his padawan.

Anakin curled into that support, the love and gentle soothing making a decade of assorted pains start to unclench, and made a quiet, uncertain noise. He wasn't sure if he understood what he'd been thinking, not now, and... he was torn between wanting to stay just like this, with his Master closer to him than thought, their minds twined together, and wanting the easier, concrete physicality of the world outside this conjoined mindscape. It wasn't easy to be this open, to have someone else this deep in his mind, and it had to be exhausting for his Master, holding himself here. 

~Don't worry about me, Anakin. You have needed me so often… and I was not there. Let me have this… if you can tolerate me.~ Obi-Wan was fast seeing so many of the mistakes made… were the very ones he had railed against Qui-Gon for, especially the distancing.

~ _My_ Master,~ Anakin replied, wrapping himself tighter around Obi-Wan's presence. He wasn't letting go if he didn't have to, and he added his own half-helpless love and faith and respect to his mental grasp. ~...you're not... angry with me? I've failed you so much...~ 

There was no point trying to pretend otherwise now. Not when hunting out the Sith taint in his mind and heart had forced so much of what he'd done to light... 

~Nonsense. I left you vulnerable, failed to listen to your visions as thoroughly as Qui-Gon ever dismissed my premonitions… and you came back from it. Just as you pulled me free of mine, Anakin,~ Obi-Wan said, before drawing that dark day on Naboo to mind, letting the fight unwind in memory complete with all of his fear and rage and the days afterward where Obi-Wan had been so hard-pressed not to do something drastically wrong.

Anakin listened/watched, felt the slam of 'saber blades against each other in his own arms, saw Master Qui-Gon fall with a scream that wanted to rip out of his own throat, and after... oh, he knew that rage, he'd felt it in himself. That Obi-Wan knew it was what stunned him, and that last, brutal blow, the vicious satisfaction -- it ached in his chest, wishing his Master had never known it, and then... then there was the rest. The temptations he'd never known Obi-Wan had felt, the call to take a fast, easy solution -- and somehow, him. The boy he'd been, following his new-then Master everywhere, questioning and worrying and hopeful, fascinated by even the minor lessons... had mattered enough to pull his Master back. 

~I -- I didn't know. Master...~ 

~How could you? I locked it down as tight as I could, to try and honor my promise to him, and then… to try and be who you needed.~ His abject failure at that haunted him. ~You were mine to care for.~ He drew up another memory, a conversation with Yoda, the quiet acceptance Yoda had faced at potentially losing not just Anakin but Obi-Wan, had Anakin chosen to walk away. 

~If it wasn't for that our men need us,~ Anakin told him, while the thought that his Master would have _left_ with him rang shock through him, ~I'd say we should have gone.~ 

Maybe if they had, if... but done was done. Done and done, and they were alive. ~And you did take care of me.~ Far better than anyone else would have, or he would have had if they hadn't relented. He would have survived, on his own, even at that age... but he didn't care to think about how, exactly. 

~We both should drink something… and possibly sleep. But if you allow… I would prefer to keep this link more solid than we usually do?~ Obi-Wan suggested after a long moment of just existing in the presence that was his shining, brilliant padawan.

~...I think I need that, actually,~ Anakin agreed, the thought of being entirely alone in his mind not at all a pleasant one, with everything they'd just dug out, turned over, torn apart, and generally wreaked havoc on. ~Not... this deep, but. Yes. Want you still _here_.~ 

~Alright.~ Obi-Wan laced his strength into their training bond, knitting all the frayed edges back together. He then withdrew, most of the way, and opened his eyes to check Anakin over physically. "Do you need pain medicine? I understand if you don't want it, but you are safe, and I am here. If I absolutely must leave, I can ask one of the men to come tell you bad stories about what we do when you're not with us?" He added that last with a touch of humor in his voice.

He had only opened his eyes again after Obi-Wan's first few words, and it was almost odd to be centered back in his -- very, very unhappy, very sweat-soaked, and definitely thirsty -- body again. He considered the question, flexed his fingers (still latched brutally hard in Obi-Wan's tunic), and bit his tongue to keep quiet. And having his eyes open was telling him he had a splitting headache and faint double vision, too. "...want? Of course I don't. Need? Probably yes. 

"And no. They don't need to see me as out of it as those make me, thank you. Besides, you'll be here," and he tapped light at the bond. "It's enough."

"As you wish." Obi-Wan found the water bottle and helped Anakin with it first. "You'll be missing out on quite the entertainment. I don't have a true Hardcase, but I do have a few good story-tellers."

Anakin hummed amusement, and drank, slowly making himself let go with his left hand -- and damn it, replacing the right all over again was going to be wretched, he didn't have _time_ to retrain the thing -- so he could try getting to sitting up when he let go of the drink. "A lot of them are," he said, about the good storytelling, before saying, "'fresher," for an explanation of why he was trying to get up. 

If he was going to get another dose of painkillers, definitely the 'fresher first. And one good reason _to_ take the pain meds was that it would keep him from trying to figure out how to do something he really shouldn't. 

Obi-Wan slipped free of the bed, then aided Anakin, lending him a shoulder all the way to the 'fresher, waiting outside of it for him to emerge. "For what it's worth, we're managing the rendezvous at a med station with a Jedi healer… unless you'd rather let Padmé's people handle the arm? I am given to understand Naboo technology is a shade better."

"No, either way I'll just take half of it apart," Anakin replied, before he blinked, looked sideways at his Master, and then smiled, bright and relieved and joyous. His Master knew, knew completely, and wasn't -- there was no more yelling, none of the wild edge of fury at his panic... no, he was calm about it. 

He couldn't quite find the right words, but it... he'd wanted Obi-Wan to know, when he wasn't terrified of it, hated the secrecy even as he'd believed it was the only way. 

"She makes you happy. I will continue to guard that, Anakin, so that you have what she can bring, as a measure of peace." There were flashes of a need to let love turn out well for someone. "Going to Naboo might be a good idea. I seem to recall we got pulled away without a true, full sweep of that complex, after all. Might be a good mission to give the 501st some downtime, and possibly turn up evidence?"

Anakin half-frowned at what he could feel rippling down the link between them, need mixed with pain and a dark ache, and leaned against his Master's supporting arm and body. The redirect made him blink, before he snorted softly, "And thereby keep the 501st close to me but busy while I'm teaching another new arm how to behave, and healing the mess of the burns? Devious." 

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I have a reputation to maintain." He got Anakin safely back into bed, the second hypospray of painkiller applied, and settled down with him. "And it gives me time to choose which Jedi and Senators to begin tearing apart the web surrounding our hopefully soon-to-be-ex-Chancellor. While keeping you away from him so he cannot learn what we have done to his lies in your mind."

Anakin snorted at the comment about reputation, and promptly moved into his Master's space when Obi-Wan sat down with him, needing the contact. "...point, there," he had to agree about that last. "Though he might already, I really hope it hurt, if he does." 

He probably shouldn't have said that, but given what the revelation of the Chancellor-as-Sith meant about this entire kriffing war... he so very, very much meant it. That so many had suffered and died for nothing but -- 

\-- but _what_? What was the end goal, here, with one Sith controlling both camps? Kriff, his head hurt too much to try to figure that out right now... 

"We were all manipulated to bring him more power… he's nearly a dictator as it is now… and to discredit the Order, while killing as many of them as he could, I think," Obi-Wan said in answer to the hazy questions floating in his padawan. He settled his arm around Anakin gently. "Personally, I'd rather march in with a drawn lightsaber and challenge him," he said mildly. "But, I fear it would have us all cast as traitors, as we would have been had we declined to lead the Army.

"So I have to be subtle."

Anakin listened -- there was that word again, 'dictator', the one Padmé had disliked so much, though he didn't entirely understand why, even now. But he had to admit that he'd obviously been badly misled on so many things by the Chancellor, there was probably better reason than he'd thought. Then Obi-Wan said the bit about a lightsaber and he made a sharp, half-unsettled noise. That vicious, honest edge to it, that his Master wanted that confrontation... didn't surprise him as much as it would have yesterday, but still. He probably wasn't wrong about what would happen in response, either. Probably not at all wrong. 

"Good thing that's one of your strong suits," Anakin told him, wryly amused, burrowing against that arm and his Master's solid body. "Subtle, I mean." 

"When it suits me." Obi-Wan situated them a little better, so he could get his hand up to card through Anakin's hair gently. "Enough about that. Would you like to talk about something? Or maybe I can tell you a story, like you're nine again, and everything is brand new to you?" he teased lightly. "Or can you sleep without that?"

"Force, not nine again," Anakin muttered, making a quiet, content noise at the hand in his hair, the strong hold around his shoulders. He was safe in his Master's hold, and that was what was important. The painkiller was really kicking in, and he would be out soon. "But... I'd like to hear you tell something, yes." 

"Well, let's see… Ahh, yes. I'll tell you about the Poor Unfortunate reptilian cat thing that sneaked into our gear on a mission, and how I had to endure its presence for the rest of the mission." Obi-Wan smiled, recalling the chaos one half-meter long creature had wreaked on a simple diplomatic mission.

"Cat-thing?" Anakin inquired, but this sounded good. He might even get the second half of it when he woke back up. He slid down into sleep with his Master's story in his ears, and the feel of his presence close around him.


	3. Once More, a Pair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two men share a quiet moment, confirming their friendship stands strong.

Anakin woke up again alone in the berth, but with his Master in sight at the door, taking a tray from a trooper whose tattoos he didn't quite recognize, but whose armor was so deeply scratched and gouged that he was no shiny, for sure. He wasn't sure if it was the voice or the scent of the food that had brought him up, but he was awake now, anyway. 

His head hurt less, his eyes were at least focusing... and apparently while he'd been sleeping the back of his mind had been trying and failing to come to terms with what they'd found, because he was bitterly angry in a focused way that hadn't been there when he went to sleep. He took a breath against it, too, tried to sit up and swore under his breath as his right arm refused -- again -- to move in the slightest. He made it up anyway, left elbow and core muscles, and eyed the food. 

"I believe there is a starving rancor in my bed," Obi-Wan said with amusement once the door was shut. He brought the tray over, setting it on the bed in easy reach before guiding the refilled water bottle, and a second one, over with a wave of the Force. He sat down, eyes brighter than they had been before to see Anakin up and more lucid, more focused.

Anakin snorted at the commentary, but stretched out his left hand to get hold of the closest bit of what looked like protein. "Hardly that, but I _am_ hungry. Also... what day is it?" 

He didn't care for the answer Obi-Wan gave him, but it didn't entirely surprise him, either. Of course he'd lost time, between Dooku grabbing him and rounds with the Force Lightning. And however long it had taken them to comb through his mind. He'd get the change in dates through his head quickly enough. 

"Oh, right. I think it is 'gundark' that I hear applied to you most by our more pale enemy," Obi-Wan teased, before taking a sip of water and deciding to eat some of the greens on the tray. "We have a bit more before we make rendezvous, and I doubt Ahsoka and Yularen will be there for at least half a day after we arrive."

Anakin's lip curled at the mention of Ventress -- he really, violently, disliked that woman and what she'd done to so many of his men -- but he was busy with the food. And his Master was both drinking and starting to eat, so that he would take as a win. Why Obi-Wan wouldn't take care of himself, Anakin had never figured out, but he had noticed it. "Right, you said she had the last of it..." 

And Rex would watch her back throughout. 

"She'll do quite well. You've been training her well, and she was such a promising Initiate from both all I had ever read on her and … been told, at length, by her fans among the Council." Obi-Wan half-smiled. "As well as a couple of Masters who were certain she was a walking explosion waiting to happen. But then, she was apparently easily bored as a youngling."

"She only sleeps an hour or so at a time," Anakin pointed out, "so she's awake a lot of the night. And grouchy if she can't get at least a little rest a few times during the day -- unless there's something to keep her focused. Thank the Force that a capital ship never sleeps, there's always something for her to be doing, even when I've admitted I need to sleep." 

"Plo did imply that Shaak had been something of a handful at times, though she came to the Temple much younger," Obi-Wan said with consideration. "That Ahsoka was found so late meant those sleep habits were already ingrained." He picked at some of the berries… and he was going to have to talk to Cody about spoiling him when their ration of fresh foods was so slim. Or maybe these had been scavenged on that last world. "I don't remember much of younger Shaak; I was too focused on not getting thrown out of the Order, and she Knighted when I was just becoming a Padawan, if I recall correctly."

"On not _what_?" Anakin stared at his Master, brother, and best friend in shocked surprise, while part of his mind filed away that clue to relative ages. Never that easy a thing to figure out, especially with the ones that had been adults well before he arrived, across so many species. 

Obi-Wan sighed softly. "I think, as you gain the respect of more and more masters, like Plo who was in and out of my padawan years, you will start hearing these tales." He shook his head. "I had a temper, Anakin. And was easily frustrated. As well as having … a very poor time with my study habits. It made me a rather poor candidate for being a Jedi, despite my family giving me up at six months.

"I struggled with some parts of it, was a natural at others, and … I was small. The areas I excelled in, actually, kept bringing me in conflict with those who were not. With tempers of their own."

Anakin hissed temper, remembering his own problems, but he'd been old enough -- and taught in a harsher enough school -- that he'd been able to deal with it, mostly. And then again, he hadn't been in the Temple all that often. Obi-Wan would have been trapped there as an Initiate... and Ahsoka had... "Why do the Masters let that happen? It's not your fault, or Ahsoka's, that you're better!" 

Obi-Wan snorted. "Believe me, I think, knowing now that I certainly wasn't an isolated case, that I may have Plo and Shaak investigate it, once this war is done." He shook his head slightly. "There are reasons I avoided the creche so thoroughly. Bad memories. Between Bruck always shoving me around and provoking me, to Siri and Darsha never letting me forget that I wasn't quite good enough…

"Well, I made peace with Siri eventually, and Darsha was abrasive to everyone."

Anakin growled, low in his throat, and tried to move closer to his Master, realized that the tray was between them, and put down what he was eating to get his hand on Obi-Wan instead. If they hadn't been at Knight Tachi's pyre entirely too recently, he'd have said something about 'peace' not being what he'd made with her... but they had, and even he wasn't jerk enough to jab at that wound. Especially not when his Master was so open to him. "I think that's a good idea. I mean, I understood _my_ problems with them. But you? Ahsoka? No. Something's not right." 

"Children, in my experience, are not inherently cruel. It's almost as if there's a miasma in the lower levels that provoke that in those who live down there," Obi-Wan said. He then covered the hand, giving a small smile. "One more thing in a long list to fix about our Order, yes?"

Anakin snorted darkly, remembering Greedo and a dozen cruelties, but remembering Kitster, too. Freeborn, and still kind, generous, willing to help. "Some are, some aren't. But... very _definitely_ yes, on the fixing." 

Obi-Wan found the sweet on the tray and broke it in half, taking it to nibble next. He really should protest the choices that wound up on his tray… but Cody and the men always turned 'deaf' when he brought it up. He didn't really know what else to say, unaccustomed to needing small talk these days. 

Anakin tightened his hand for a moment, letting things fall into quiet as he took his hand back and returned his attention to the food. He did push what he'd left of the main protein at his Master, narrowing his eyes when Obi-Wan apparently ignored the move, and tapped a finger on the rim. 

It was so strange, not to feel... conflicted, or angry, or like he had to fill the silence with something, anything, just to keep Obi-Wan from realizing how much he was hiding. But it felt good, too. It felt... really, really good. Barring the fact that he still hurt through nearly every inch of him. 

"You can take another pain dose, if you want?" Obi-Wan said on the heels of that realization, showing he was paying close attention. "Or, if you don't mind my clumsy attempts, I can try and push a little more healing through you."

"...of course I don't mind," Anakin answered, "as soon as you actually eat. Protein, Master, after what we went through, you _need_ it." 

Obi-Wan sighed and complied. "I'm perfectly happy with all the vegetable matter that our padawan can't eat," he said lightly. "How is she doing with her supplemented rations?"

"Much, much better," Anakin replied, still faintly irked that it had taken so long to realize there was a problem for his padawan in the standard rations, even as he chalked up a victory in the long-running battle to make his Master take care of himself by one means or another. "I still think our revered Grandmaster needs a hard kick for not telling anyone she had non-standard needs, but. Whatever." 

"I doubt he even knew. Have you ever had dinner with him? He serves … items that have been boiled beyond any rational consistency, and has never, to my knowledge, included anything of his guests' cuisine," Obi-Wan complained. "I'd expect that from Plo, perhaps, but the times I have dined with him, he served me solid food that was appealing in addition to his own cuisine."

"You know I haven't," Anakin replied to the question, since the idea of spending any time he didn't have to with one of the Masters who liked him least -- great-grand Master or no -- was fairly patently ridiculous. "But mm. All right." 

If he hadn't known, it was a little more forgivable. 

"He's my least favorite to share a meal with. Though, I think Eeth may be overjoyed at recent meals as he is fine with travel rations." Obi-Wan smiled. "I've gotten to know them quite well, in their eating habits, as inviting them to a dinner was a useful way to sidetrack them from asking about you."

"You -- what, Master?" Anakin asked, startled, caught off balance for the dozenth time since he'd realized something was hissing poison in his mind about the man he loved best and most in the galaxy. 

Obi-Wan chuckled. "I did try to buy you time with your lady, as frequently as I could."

Anakin shook his head, and reached for his Master's free hand. He'd known, from that extended session of trying to purge the Chancellor's compulsions from his mind, that his Master _knew_ , had always known... but there was a difference between his knowing, and his _helping_. "I -- thank you, Master. I... thank you, so much." 

+++ 

**Some time rather later**

"This is all your fault!" the ghost snarled impotently.

Dooku just laughed, stroking his beard, at the very dead former Sith Master.


End file.
